Pro Cycling

Katusha Back in WorldTour

Russian squad wins CAS appeal, gains entry to season's biggest races

afp/bicycling.com

(Photo by Katusha finished fifth at the Tour of Qatar's team time trial in early February. (ASO/B. Bade))

PARIS, Feb 15, 2013 (AFP) - Russian cycling team Katusha has won its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to be reinstated in the UCI’s top-tier WorldTour, which grants automatic entry to the season’s biggest races.

Cycling's governing body, the UCI, had excluded Katusha from the circuit in December, leaving them at the mercy of race organizers as to whether they are invited to compete in events like the Tour de France.

The CAS initially upheld the ruling in January but has now overturned that decision on appeal. As a result, the WorldTour this season will now feature 19 teams, instead of the usual 18, unless the UCI decides to drop one outfit from its list.

The controversial team, who count 2012 WorldTour champion Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain and Russian Denis Menchov in their ranks, is run by Russia's Viatcheslav Ekimov, a former teammate of the disgraced rider Lance Armstrong.

In November, the Association of Race Organisers warned it would only consider handing out invitations to teams which had signed up to the anti-doping charter the Movement for Credible Cycling.

Katusha had been refused a wildcard entry to this year's Giro d'Italia as they had not signed up for the Movement, but they have since done so as a probationary member.

"Given the urgency of the situation, the court has handed down its decision today, without giving its reasons in writing, which it will do in the coming weeks," the court ruling said.

Reacting to the decision, UCI issued a statement acknowledging the verdict and stated, "The UCI will now evaluate the consequences of this ruling and will communicate further in coming days, as soon as such evaluation has taken place."